Okami 2: A New Beginning
by Aya Hinata
Summary: A year has passed since Amaterasu and her poncle companion Issun saved the world of Nippon. But her story is far from over. Now there’s new trouble. A new Demon has emerged, and Ammy gets to return to Nippon. But at a price. Ammyx ? . Rated T just in case
1. Prologue: Turn To The Past

Note: This chapter is mostly for review on what happened in the game of Okami. Readers do not have to read this chapter, but you may if you wish. This is also to help me remember everything as well.

Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once, because you all know that I don't own Okami. I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANYTHING ELSE I MAY PUT INTO THIS FANFICTION. If I put in any OCs, I own them, and any plot twists may belong to me, too. =P

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Okami 2: A new Beginning

Prologue: Turn To The Past

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The story began more than 100 years ago. A great 8-headed demon serpent named Orochi attacked the Celestial Plain, home of the immortals and gods who lived above the mortal world. Amaterasu, the white wolf goddess of the sun fought alongside a great blonde-haired warrior named Waka, making all attempts to defeat the demon.

However, Orochi was not so easily defeated. The celestials boarded an ark in order to escape the Celestial Plain and the demon. But little did the celestials know that the ark, built by the moon tribe, housed a horde of thousands of monsters. The immortals were slaughtered. Except for two.

Waka and Amaterasu escaped a terrible fate. The ark crashed into a frozen lake by a village called Kamui. Unfortunately, the two were separated.

Orochi and the monsters found their way into the mortal world. For years Orochi haunted a small village known as Kamiki. Every year on a full moon, the 8-headed serpent would choose a maiden from the village to be his sacrifice.

Then Amaterasu appeared in the village. The wolf began to search the village annually. For what? Well, we're getting to that.

The villagers called this wolf Shiranui. They came to believe that she was a familiar of Orochi, come every year to size up a target for Orochi's annual sacrifice.

Then, one year, a great warrior named Nagi attempted to challenge the wolf. But she was too swift and was undefeatable.

This was what she had been waiting for. For many years she had been waiting for Nagi to appear. His destiny was great and was awaiting him.

100 years ago, on the annual sacrificial day, Orochi's arrow appeared and marked the house of the chosen maiden, named Nami.

Nagi, who had a secret love for Nami, swore to defeat Orochi and restore peace to Kamiki village. He dressed himself in the sacrificial robe as a disguise, then off he went to the Moon Cave, where the great demon resided.

Nagi fought Orochi with all his might, but could not break through the barrier that Orochi had around his body. Exhausted, Nagi was sure that he'd become Orochi's next sacrifice. And he almost became so.

Then, all of a sudden, Amaterasu appeared, landing before Nagi and shielding him from the monster. To Nagi's surprise, the white wolf fought Orochi off.

She used great powers in doing so.

Using a sake taken from Kamiki village, Amaterasu intoxicated Orochi. With the serpent drunk off the sake, Amaterasu had the demon nearly defeated.

Finally, Nagi found the strength to stand. With his willpower and remaining strength, he used his sword, Tsukiyomi, to finish off Orochi. This same sword was used to seal the demon away for years to come.

Amaterasu was covered in wounds from the battle. She became so weak that she was unable to stand.

Nagi, who still had remaining energy from the battle, lifted the wolf into his arms and returned to the village.

But alas, there was nothing that could be done for her.

But the time Nagi returned to Kamiki village with the wolf, she was barely breathing.

The chief of the village, Mr. Grapefruit, stroked the wolf's head in her final moments. Nagi told their story, and in honor of the wolf, a statue was built of her. Her statue stood at the base of the village's protective guardian tree, Konohana. Shiranui, the great white wolf that aided Nagi in the defeat of Orochi. Her sacrifice brought peace to Kamiki village.

For the next 100 years.

100 years past, the village changing, the tree Konohana growing bigger which each passing year. The world was at peace.

Then Susano, the descendent of Nagi, entered the Moon Cave. In an attempt to prove the legends wrong, he removed the Tsukiyomi sword from the stone that had kept the demon Orochi bound. By doing so, he mistakenly set Orochi free.

In shame, Susano stormed back to the village, sealing himself inside with a giant boulder and shutting himself in his home.

Because of Orochi's release, the world was plunged into darkness, the lands becoming cursed and uninhabitable.

Desperately, Sakuya, the tree sprite and spirit of the Konohana tree in Kamiki village, summoned a divine instrument, casting it upon Amaterasu's statue and reviving the long sleeping goddess. She implored the sun goddess to end the world's suffering and heal the dark and polluted world.

Suddenly, interrupting the conversation, a poncle, or small sprite, came from Sakuya's robe. He called himself Issun, the wandering artist.

Sakuya disappeared, her words to Amaterasu a prayer that she'd cut a fruit from her tree and restore the village to its natural state.

But Amaterasu did not have the power to do so. She did not have all 13 of her brush techniques, the catalysts of her powers. Each power was represented by animals of the Chinese zodiac. Once she gained the technique Rejuvenation from the Dragon brush god, Yomigami, and Power Slash from the Rat brush god, Tachigami, she was able to slash the fruit from Sakuya's tree.

The village wasn't fully restored to its natural beauty, however. It was still covered by a curse zone. By summoning the sun, Amaterasu was able to lift the curse zone. But the rest of the world of Nippon was still cursed and haunted by demons.

It was here that Amaterasu and Issun met Susano, descendent of Nagi. A merchant implored Susano to use his strength to remove the rock blocking the path. Eventually, with reluctance, Susano obliged. With Amaterasu guiding his wooden sword, the boulders sealing the village were destroyed. Susano ran off down the path leading out of the village, laughing.

Sakuya reappeared before Amaterasu, congratulating her upon her good deeds in the village. She then asked Amaterasu another favor. To go about the lands and restore them, reviving the guardian saplings of which Sakuya was connected to through Konohana.

With Issun for a companion, Amaterasu traveled across Shinshu Field, Agata Forest, where Waka finally reappeared. Issun did not trust the man, but Amaterasu immediately recognized the warrior. Waka challenged her to a fight, testing her strength after so many years. In Waka's defeat, he disappeared.

Amaterasu fought many large foes. The Queen Spider, Mr. and Mrs. Cutter, and Crimson Helm.

Then came Orochi's battle. With Susano instead of Nagi. Susano, finally filled with courage and guided by Amaterasu and her Celestial Brush, delivered the final blows to the 8-headed serpent.

From Orochi's corpse sprang a cloud of darkness, veering off towards the far north. But for now, Amaterasu and Issun enjoyed their victory.

Amaterasu and Issun continued their journey to the Ryoshima Coasts. They defeated Blight. Then they defeated the Water Dragon, possessed by madness from the wounds dealt him by Ninetails. Amaterasu freed the Water Dragon's spirit.

At Oni Island, Isle of Demons, Amaterasu and Issun defeated the Ninetails. Out of her body, too, did darkness rise and fly to the far north, combining with the darkness that had left Orochi.

After this, Amaterasu and Issun continued their journey to Kamui, where tormented by blizzards and cursed zones, was the Oina tribe.

The Oina tribe was a clan of people who could turn into canine-like animals. Very useful for their geographical climate. But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?

Seeking shelter in a nearby hut, Amaterasu and Issun were confronted by a masked man with long oddly-spiked red and black hair. This man challenged the wolf Goddess, and quickly learned that he could no defeat her, in human form or his black wolf-like form.

This man's name was Oki. He was a great warrior of the Oina tribe, who'd take the Kutone sword from its place on a mountain above Kamui. By the lake where the Ark of Yamato had fallen.

Oki spoke a prophecy. "The wall of ice shall shatter and open the way to the heavens when Kutone, the guardian sword, glows silver."

Speeding up this legend, Amaterasu enters the secret forest, Yoshpet, outside of Kamui in search of Lika, a missing girl who must recite an incantation that will cause the two volcanic mountains to erupt and end the blizzard caused by Nechku and Lechku, two demons that have taken over the two mountains.

It is in this forest that Amaterasu visited old friends in the Poncle village. But that isn't the climax of the quest to find Lika.

Amaterasu and Issun entered a sacred gate, followed by Oki. This gate took the them to Kamiki Village. But there was something unique about this village. It was 100 years in the past, when Amaterasu, as Shiranui, defeated Orochi alongside Nagi. Oki was nowhere to be found.

Following with the past as best she could, Amaterasu re-defeated Orochi, finding Oki, Lika, and meeting her past self and the poncle that had been with her then.

The four returned to the present.

Racing an apocalypse, Amaterasu took Lika to the alter at the base of the mountain shrine by the lake.

But the Oina shaman implored Amaterasu to follow after Oki, who'd stormed into the shrine in rage.

It was here that Amaterasu met with Shiranui, who had somehow gotten out of the Spirit Gate. The two of them fought one of the demon owls, Nechku.

Before the final blow could be dealt, Oki appeared, and Nechku flew off to join Lechku.

After making her way to the next mountain, leaving Shiranui behind, Oki and Amaterasu fought Nechku and Lechku.

After their defeat, the two returned to the alter at the base of them mountain shrine. The Ark of Yamato rose from the lake and into the air. From Kutone's alter, a rainbow path rose to the floating Ark of Yamato.

Knowing that there was no turning back, Amaterasu climbed up the path to the entrance of the Ark, while the Oini tribe watched, knowing that the wolf would not be returning.

Amaterasu reached the gate only to discover that Issun would not be joining her. Her attempts to make him stay failed.

Joined by Waka, Amaterasu had no choice but to reluctantly leave the poncle behind. Amaterasu re-defeated Blight, Orochi, Queen Spider, Crimson Helm, and Ninetails aboard the Ark, freeing the Celestial spirits trapped within the ark.

Finally, Amaterasu reached Yami's level. Wake awaited her.

But Yami attacked, absorbing Amaterasu's powers and rendering her helpless. In an attempt to protect her from Yami's further attacks, Waka shielded the wolf, and was cast over the edge of the ark.

But Amaterasu would not give up. She fought without her powers. Gradually she regained them back from Yami.

With strong will and valiant courage, the sun goddess brought the lord of Darkness to his knees.

But before she could let out a victory howl, she discovered Yami was not yet defeated. Yami absorbed her brush powers, yet again, leaving her weak and unable to fight once more.

She could not bring herself to stand.

All of a sudden, Amaterasu heard echoes of prayers around her. Prayers from the people below that she had met, giving her strength and courage. Issun spread painted scrolls of her across the world, revealing to Nippon that she was Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Shiranui.

People everywhere sent up their prayers. These prayers gave her renewed strength, now that people, once more, believed in her.

With this new strength, Amaterasu regained all her lost powers and weapons, her true form returning.

Without relent, Amaterasu fought Yami again. Eventually, Yami met defeat.

At this, Amaterasu released a victory howl, and re-summoned the sun, overpowering the eclipse.

Waka reappeared and together the two of them went on their voyage to return to the Celestial Plain.

With parting words from Issun, the two Celestials returned home.

There the legend of Okami ends.

But is the story truly over? No, not by a long shot.

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Note: And so ends the 4 page review on Okami. I am in awe if you took the time to read this whole thing, because it's not part of the actual fanfic. Lol. Next chapter definitely WILL be though.

Ja Ne.


	2. Chaos Revisited

**Note To Self: Do not do Shift Enter anymore when typing up these chapters, cause then you have to spend a load of time in 's document manager fixing the format. Ugh X.x**

**Disclaimer is in Prologue.**

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Okami 2: A New Beginning**

**Chapter 1: Chaos Revisited

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**A year had passed since Ammy had defeated Yami and returned to the Celestial Plain. Err, make that Amaterasu. It was so hard to forget the nickname that Issun had given her. She missed Issun. The little poncle had made her adventures exciting and worth-while.**

**But alas, Issun was in the mortal world, and Ammy was in the Celestial Plain. At least Waka was with her. That made the days easier to bear. But Waka's cryptic messages did not make much for conversation like Issun's crude jokes had.**

**She rolled over in the field of flowers on the Plain, glancing up at the sky. She searched for constellations, very hard to do with the sun out. But Ammy could easily fix that. She was the sun Goddess after all.**

**She closed her eyes, seemingly pausing time, facing her head to the sky. In her mind she could see it just as well as if her eyes were open. Everything was sepia colored and transparent, like a see-through canvas with the sky on the other side.**

**On this canvas she drew a crescent moon, and then opened her eyes. All at once a moon appeared in the sky, turning day into instant night. There, now she could see the night sky, and searched for the thirteen constellations.**

**These thirteen constellations represented the realms of the thirteen brush gods. Gods that were created when she had died 100 years ago. They were one with her now, but the constellations still remained, their images sketched into the sky by the stars.**

**Ammy wondered how many people in the mortal world looked up at these images and knew of their significance. How many knew why they were there?**

**Before thinking too much on it, she rolled onto her side and stretched out in the grass. The sun Goddess stretched out her muscles and limbs. Even in the Celestial plain, her work was never complete. Restoring the land to peace and prosperity had been a chore throughout the year. Fortunately, though, progress was moving quickly.**

**Soon things would be back to the way they should be. Before Orochi and Yami destroyed it all.**

"**Ah, Ma Cherie," said a light voice, coming from behind her. "There you are."**

**Ammy looked over her shoulder to see a blonde youth in robes standing several feet away. His light green eyes glistening with childish mischievousness, but at the same time carried a deep and wise understanding of the world around him.**

**Waka.**

**Ammy rolled onto her front, looking at him. Her ears going up. She barked a greeting at him, the only communication she had. Sometimes that bothered her, to not be able to speak to other people in the way they spoke to her. Only sometimes. The carefree nature usually came in after that and she would thus forget the problem.**

"**I thought I might find you here," Waka said, starting forward and walking towards the wolf Goddess. "Lazing about in the fields. Has the work been too much?" He asked, grinning.**

**Ammy jumped to her feet, tail beginning to go back and forth behind her. With a playful bark, she launched herself at him.**

**Waka put his hands up to fend her off, but she still managed to tackle him to the ground. It wasn't as if he hadn't been expecting it. If Waka thought Amaterasu would really attack him, he'd be able to defend himself without delay.**

**But he knew Amaterasu only wanted to play. After so many days of working during the year, the wolf just wanted to spend the rest of the evening as carefree as she always was. Even as a Celestial, Waka was still a youth, and he, too, needed some unwinding.**

**So Waka and Amaterasu wrestled awhile in the grass, careful not to harm each other, but also not going easy on each other, either.**

**When Ammy started attacking his face with licks, Waka started laughing.**

"**Cut it out, Ma Cherie!" He cried, struggling to get the over affectionate wolf off of him.**

**Did Waka really mind it? Well, if the youthful Celestial was honest, then no. Waka secretly adored Ammy. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do with the wolf.**

**Sometimes Waka wished that she, too, had a human form. So he could understand her, do more than just play in a field. Do more than just get barks and tail wags and growls in return.**

**But that would never happen, and Waka would have to learn to live and deal with it.**

**After the two finished their wrestling, Ammy rolled off and plopped down in the grass beside him. Waka sat up and looked at her, then up at the stars, pushing his long blond hair behind his shoulders.**

"**So, Ma Cherie," said the youth. "Things have been progressing at a satisfying rate. Soon the Celestial Plain's restoration will be completed."**

**And then there won't be much left to do. For the past 200 years, Waka had been on quite an adventure, along with Amaterasu, defeating Orochi and Yami, though Waka did not take credit in either's defeat. That had all been Amaterasu. She'd defeated them both.**

**Oh, sweet little wolf, Ammy.**

**Damn, he thought. That name's beginning to stick. Damn that little poncle that had started that nickname trend.**

**Waka's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ground beneath him beginning to shake."What in all of Nippon?" Waka asked, standing up, slightly off balance by the quake.**

**Amaterasu also jumped to her feet, suddenly crouched and growling in all directions. What was going on? It was so peaceful a moment ago, and quakes weren't a normal phenomenon on the Celestial Plain.**

**The quaking only got worse. Wake pulled out his flute, and transformed it into his swords. He didn't like this one bit.**

**And then, all of a sudden, the quaking kept to an abrupt halt.**

**Waka straightened, looking around in confusion. What was that? He looked at Amaterasu, who was still crouched.**

**Ammy's gaze shifted back and forth, and she looked in every direction. She knew that just because the quaking stopped, it didn't mean that the danger was done. She was getting a horrible feeling. Something was definitely wrong. Something was coming.**

**But what?**

**Amaterasu's head suddenly jerked up when a shadow came over. Her crimson eyes landed on the moon, or what was left of it. It was being covered by an eclipse!**

**She began snarling up at the disappearing moon as darkness began to cover the Plain.**

**Waka looked up and his eyes widened.**

"**What? This doesn't make any sense. What's going on?!" he exclaimed.**

**And then, several feet away, a dark mist appeared before them. Amaterasu crouched further, snarling towards it.**

"**This doesn't look good," Waka murmured, dropping into a fighter's stance.**

**This isn't going to go well, Waka thought.**

How right he was.

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**-----End-----

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**A/N: There's the cliffhanger for the chapter =D And I'm going on right into chapter two after I post this up! Later! =D**


	3. Nippon

A/N: Oh, god I hate the way the document manager screws up the formatting of the chapter. It really keeps messing with my space lengths between sections. Gr.

To Nuff: Thanks for the constructive critiquing. I sped through the first chapter, because it was a recap, and not part of my story. XD I'm still working on my writing skills. By the way, with that last sentence, I find it kind of creepy how you suggested something I already thought about o.o.

Alright, here goes. Enough of my yapping.

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**Okami 2: A New Beginning**

**Chapter 2: Nippon**

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_Previously: _

_Amaterasu's head suddenly jerked up when a shadow came over. Her crimson eyes landed on the moon, or what was left of it. It was being covered by an eclipse!_

_She began snarling up at the disappearing moon as darkness began to cover the Plain._

_Waka looked up and his eyes widened._

_"What? This doesn't make any sense. What's going on?" he exclaimed._

_And then, several feet away, a dark mist appeared before them. Amaterasu crouched further, snarling towards it._

_"This doesn't look good," Waka murmured, dropping into a fighter's stance._

_This isn't going to go well, Waka thought._

_How right he was._

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_

There was something familiar about the dark mist that had appeared so suddenly before them. A sinister evil that Amaterasu recognized. She had felt that before, that presence. She had defeated it a year ago. Or, at least, she had thought she had.

But no matter how many times the sun rises to expel the darkness, it is never completely gone. It simply returns as soon as the sun sets. How could Yami be any different? As long as there was light in the world, there would always be darkness.

But if this were truly Yami, then what would that mean for the Celestial Plain? Or for Nippon? Amaterasu had just spent over 200 years fighting the war against Yami and the evils that it had brought with it.

But the shape that was forming within the dark mist was not the giant sphere that Yami usually used for its appearance. The figure looked humanoid, but nothing but the outline could be seen. No facial or body features whatsoever.

However, the smell was unmistakable. This was indeed Yami reincarnated.

"There's no rest for the wicked, is there?" Waka said, tone fierce.

Even he knew who stood before them. Again, the dark mist surrounding the unwelcome guest was clue enough to their identity.

Waka looked at Amaterasu.

"Prepare yourself, Mon Cheri," he said. "We'll have to remind this atrocity that we are not a force to be reckoned with!"

"You say that with such absolute certainty," came an amused female voice. Such was a surprise, as it was unexpected, especially its source. "You seem to think that I'll be so easily defeated a second time. Do you truly believe that I'll be so easy?"

The voice had come from the figure, and after it spoke, it began to emit sadistic laughter. Now that Amaterasu looked more closely, the figure's outline did look feminine. Yami must have changed its form, and because Yami had no particular gender or appearance, it could change into anything. Even a maiden.

Though a maiden was the last form Waka or Amaterasu expected Yami to take.

"Do not underestimate our powers," Waka said. "We destroyed you once, and we will do so, again. Again, and again, however many times you come back."

"Again, so certain," replied Yami. "But I'm afraid that it won't be an easy defeat. I have a great deal of plans for you both."

The figure before them raised its slender hand towards them, almost invisible in the mist surrounding it.

"I will send you both to the mortal world, but you'll have more than just finding Brush Gods to deal with!"

The darkness surrounding Yami began to spread out like smoke, covering the ground. But, unlike smoke, the dark tendrils turned every plant it touched into a withered corpse, turning green to black and brown.

It spread out, like a reverse of Amaterasu's divine intervention, covering the Celestial Plain and making it look like the many curse zones that Amaterasu had dispelled, herself, a year ago.

Ammy found herself choking on the stale air.

Waka looked around, frantically. The Celestial Plain could not be so easily polluted, could it? Everything that Waka and Amaterasu had done for months to restore their Celestial home had been erased in just a matter of seconds.

Now the Celestial Plain looked like a graveyard, the once blossoming trees were now barren, as well as the ground. Like a forest that had been burnt to the ground.

"And now it is your turn," Yami spoke. Dark tendrils shot out at the sun goddess.

Amaterasu tried to evade them, but the tense atmosphere of the curse zone slowed her movements.

The dark tendrils caught her, wrapping around her like a blanket. As the tendrils restrained the wolf, Yami did the very thing that it knew would make Amaterasu powerless.

Squeezing the wolf's body, Yami simultaneously removed all of Amaterasu's brush techniques. As a technique disappeared, so did its coinciding constellation. Shattering like glass in the night sky.

Fighting the effects of the curse zone, Waka forced himself forward, and sliced at the tendrils with his swords. But by the time he managed to get there, it was already too late.

The tendrils released the wolf momentarily, but reformed and rewrapped themselves around the white wolf like a cocoon.

"Have fun in the mortal world. Perhaps I shall see you there, soon," Yami said. As soon as Yami had finished speaking, the cocoon floated towards the edges of the Celestial Plain, and then dropped down, flying towards the mortal world.

Waka moved as fast as the zone would let him to the edge.

"Dammit," he murmured. He looked back at Yami.

"And you will also be joining her, shortly," Yami said. The lord of Darkness turned its shadow-covered head to Waka, watching as he, in vain, tried to break free from curse.

"However," Yami continued. "I cannot have you going there just so that you can simply foil me again. We'll have to modify you a bit, too, before sending you to the mortal world."

Yami's humanoid shadow approached Waka. Waka tried to fight the curse, but it was all in vain. Yami was simply getting closer, and even if Waka could swing his sword, Yami would have had all the time in the world to dodge it.

As Yami got within arm's length of Waka, it reached out and touched his forehead. A dark, smoke-like, aura appeared around the shadow hand of Yami, much like the black smoke surrounding it. Waka opened his mouth to scream, but it was a long, deep scream, like a movie scene in slow motion.

When Yami removed its hand, Waka became disoriented, and as he passed out, he too was incased inside of a cocoon. This cocoon floated over the edge of the Celestial Plain, and then hurled itself downwards towards the mortal world.

"And now is the time," Yami said. "Now is the time that I wreak havoc and vengeance upon the world!"

As Yami spoke, it rose its humanoid hands upwards. The constellations of the brush gods disappeared simultaneously, vanishing from their starry depths. Along with them, the moon disappeared as well, causing the world below to darken without its light. In place of the brush gods, constellations of former foes appeared. Star patterns of Orochi, Ninetails, the Spider Queen, Crimson Helm, the owls Lechku and Nechku, and Blight dotted the sky.

As the constellations appeared, so did the real monsters down on the world below. Though it was a question as where each was sent this time around, one thing was certain. This fight wasn't going to be as easy as the first time around.

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Meanwhile, down on the world below, Amaterasu lay sideways in the middle of a forest. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and the first thing she noticed was the sky, dark and moonless. As she moved to sit up, she felt strange. Different. For once, she felt cold. She looked down at her paws as she sat herself up. But it wasn't paws she was looking at.

It was hands.

Human hands.

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**End of Chapter 2**

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A/N: I tried to make sure this chapter was long and enjoyable. I feel the writing may have suffered near the end. I'm improving though, thankfully, compared to my previous stories. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are still reading. I know that the periods between updates are long and I apologize for that. Life keeps me busy XD. As for the repetition of Yami's name, I didn't really plan on referring to Yami as female until after its/her appearance is revealed.

By the way, if I misspelled anyone's name, please let me know. Thanks.


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